Wildfire in Alaska, June 13 to 30, 2004

Name: Wildfire in Alaska, June 13 to 30, 2004
Start: 2004-06-13T12:00
End: 2004-06-30T23:59
Location: Alaska

June 13 to 30, 2004 · NWS AFG · 3 events in 3 counties and zones

Wildfires began over the eastern Interior of Alaska around June 13 and continued through the summer, setting a record year for acres burned since records began in 1950. 15 million acres had burned.

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: None recorded
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 3

Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.

What happened

The episode as NWS AFG wrote it up.

Wildfires began over the eastern Interior of Alaska around June 13 and continued through the summer, setting a record year for acres burned since records began in 1950. By the end of June, 1.15 million acres had burned. Through the entire summer, nearly 6.5 million acres burned across northern Alaska; burned acreage also occurred in these zones not listed: 208, 215, 218, 217, 218, 219, 221, 223, 225, 226. Villages/Settlements Threatened from these fires: Zone 219: Bettles; Zone 220: Venetie, Central. Zone 222: Haystack Subdivision north of Fairbanks, Chena Hot Springs Resort. Zone 224: Eagle/Eagle Village, Chicken, Northway. June 23: The Taylor Highway from Tok to Eagle and Dawson was closed June 23- July 1, and in the beginning 6 busloads of tourists were stranded at Tok, who were slated to arrive at Dawson. The highway was opened after a few days to a one-per-day convoy. This closure hampered the logistics of delivery of supplies to fire camps in the area. June 24th, the Steese Highway between Fairbanks and Circle City began to be closed intermittently near mile 57, where the Boundary Fire was active. on June 29th, the fire moved to mile 42 of the Steese Highway and residents of 12 primary residences were evacuated from 42.5 mile to 55 mile. June 28-July 3: Dense smoke with visibilities mostly 1/2 mile or less persisted in the Fairbanks area, causing the cancellation of all scheduled outdoor sporting activities. Air Quality Alerts were in Force the entire week - on the 28th the 2.5 micron particulate sensor maxed out at the level of 995 microgram/cubic meter- at that level the sensor turns off so the final maximum on that day is unknown. Readings the rest of the week ranged from 300 to 800 microgram/cubic meter. Normal summertime values for Fairbanks is around 10 micrograms/cubic meter. Event continued into July.

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before the first event, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.

NWS Fairbanks, AK wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Jun 13, 5:00 AM AST, 7 hours earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jun 13, 5:00 AM AST, 7 hours before

NORTH ALASKA FORECAST DISCUSSION
600 AM ADT SUN JUN 13 2004

.DISCUSSION...

WEAK FLOW PATTERN ALOFT AND AT THE SURFACE PERSISTS WITH
CONVECTION DRIVEN BY ELEVATED TERRAIN AND UPPER LEVEL SHORT WAVES.

THE MAJOR PLAYERS ALOFT ARE A HIGH PRESSURE OVER THE ARCTIC OCEAN
AND A SERIES OF LOWS MOVING FROM THE WESTERN ALEUTIANS INTO THE
GULF OF ALASKA.

OVER THE NEXT SEVERAL DAYS AN UPPER LOW WILL MOVE INTO THE
NORTHERN GULF WHILE THE HIGH PRESSURE SLIDES SOUTHEAST INTO THE
MACKENZIE MOUNTAINS OF THE YUKON TERRITORY.  THIS WILL INCREASE
THE SOUTHEASTERLY FLOW ACROSS THE FORECAST AREA.  IN THIS
SOUTHEASTERLY FLOW...SEVERAL SHORT WAVES WILL CROSS THE INTERIOR
AND WESTERN ZONES ENHANCING THE CHANCE FOR CONVECTION OVER THE
NEXT SEVERAL DAYS.

THIS PATTERN WILL CONTINUE INTO LATE WEEK AS RIDGING ALOFT BUILDS
OVER THE INTERIOR AND WEST COAST.  AS IT DOES SO...A THERMAL
TROUGH AT THE SURFACE WILL CONTINUE THE CHANCE FOR SCATTERED
CONVECTION.

THE ARCTIC COAST AND COASTAL LOCATIONS ALONG THE BERING STRAIT
CONTINUE TO BATTLE LOW CLOUDS AND FOG.  EASTERLY WINDS WILL
CONTINUE FOR AT LEAST ANOTHER 24 HOURS ALONG THE ARCTIC COAST THEN
DIMINISH SOMEWHAT AS THE HIGH BUILDS TO THE SOUTHEAST.  WESTERLY
SURFACE WINDS ALONG THE BERING STRAIT COAST WILL KEEP THE CHANCE
FOR LOCALLY DENSE FOG IN THE FORECAST.

.HYDRO...NO SIGNIFICANT ISSUES.

.FIRE WEATHER...ROBUST LIGHTNING ACTIVITY YESTERDAY ACCOMPANIED
MAINLY WET THUNDERSTORMS.  WET THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE LIKELY OVER
THE NEXT FEW DAYS WITH ADDITIONAL LIGHTNING STRIKES.

.AFG...WATCH/WARNING/ADVISORIES...
PUBLIC...DENSE FOG ADVISORY...207 209 212 213
MARINE...SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY...11A

AT JUN 04

Event by event

3 wildfire. Local standard time, as filed.

Wildfire, Middle Tanana Valley

When: June 13, 12:00 PM AST to June 30, 11:59 PM AST
Where: Middle Tanana Valley forecast zone
Reported by: OTHER FEDERAL AGENCY

Wildfire, Upr Tanana Vly Fortymile

When: June 13, 12:00 PM AST to June 30, 11:59 PM AST
Where: Upr Tanana Vly Fortymile forecast zone
Reported by: OTHER FEDERAL AGENCY

Wildfire, Yukon Flats Nearby Uplands

When: June 13, 12:00 PM AST to June 30, 11:59 PM AST
Where: Yukon Flats Nearby Uplands forecast zone
Reported by: OTHER FEDERAL AGENCY

What these are

Wildfire: A fire burning in wildland vegetation, with its acreage and damage where known.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in Alaska in 2004 Every state in 2004 This day in weather history Warnings in Alaska, June 2004

Sources

NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5409338, 5409339, 5409340.